MEANING
to explain or interpret something by placing it within relevant surrounding circumstances
Use it for
Words that belong together
- contextualize a source
- contextualize the findings
- historically contextualize
On the page
The introduction contextualizes the diary within wartime censorship.
Income data help contextualize the reported spending.
To contextualize the speech is not to endorse its claims.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- contextualize / contextualizes
- Past tense
- contextualized
- Past participle
- contextualized
- Present participle
- contextualizing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- contextualize / contextualizes
- Present continuous
- am/is/are contextualizing
- Present perfect
- have/has contextualized
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been contextualizing
- Past
- contextualized
- Past continuous
- was/were contextualizing
- Past perfect
- had contextualized
- Past perfect continuous
- had been contextualizing
- Future
- will contextualize / contextualizes
- Future continuous
- will be contextualizing
- Future perfect
- will have contextualized
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been contextualizing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary curation section: Academic. Context can be historical, social, intellectual, or situational; contextualizing does not automatically excuse or justify an act. contextualize; contextualizes; contextualized; contextualized; contextualizing. British variant: contextualise. Related noun: contextualization.
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